1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator having an improved configuration for ice discharging.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a refrigerator is provided with a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber to keep various kinds of food for a period of time. The refrigerating chamber stores food, such as fruits and vegetables, that are kept above a freezing temperature. The freezing chamber stores food, such as fish and meat, that is kept below a freezing temperature.
The freezing chamber may be provided with an ice making device which uses cold air circulating in the freezing chamber to make ice cubes of a predetermined size, and an ice storage part storing the ice made in the ice making device. The ice stored in the ice storage part is cut into ice cubes or crushed ice according to an intended use to be discharged to the outside.
A conventional refrigerator in FIGS. 4a and 4b, for example, includes an ice storage part 121 having an opening 125 through which ice is discharged, a cover 135 having an outlet 137 through which the ice from the opening 125 is discharged to the outside, a supporting blade 145, a pair of rotating blades 141 shaving ice moving with respect to the supporting blade 145, and an operating lever 151 reciprocally moving between a shaving position which approaches the supporting blade 145 and shaves ice and an opening position such that the operating lever 151 is separated from the supporting blade 145 and does not shave ice.
The pair of rotating blades 141 are arranged making an isometric angle of 180°. Also, the opening 125 and the outlet 137 are arranged vertically on a side of the ice storage part 121.
In the case that a user discharges the ice stored in the ice storage part 121 without shaving, as shown in FIG. 4a, the operating lever 151 is separated from the supporting blade 145, and the ice discharged from the opening part 125 of the ice storage part 121 directly falls down toward the outlet 137 and then is discharged from the outlet part 137 to the outside.
In the case that a user selects crushed ice, as shown in FIG. 4b, the operating lever 151 approaches the supporting blade 145 and the ice discharged from the opening 125 is not directly discharged to the outlet 137, but carried to the supporting blade 145 by the rotating blades 141 to be crushed by the supporting blade 145 and the rotating blades 141. Then ice is discharged as crushed ice through the outlet 137 to the outside.
However, in the conventional refrigerator, the opening 125 and the outlet 137 are typically vertically arranged. Specifically, the outlet 137 is provided in a direct lower part of the opening 125, and when the ice stored in the ice storage part 121 is discharged without being crushed, the ice discharged from the opening 125 falls straight down to the outlet 137 to be discharged. As the amount of the ice cubes discharged from the ice storage part 121 varies according to the storage capacity of the ice storage part 121, if the ice is discharged excessively, the amount of ice from the outlet 137 cannot be controlled, and the ice may overflow from the storage container into which the ice is discharged, thereby causing inconvenience for a user. Also, when the ice is shaved prior to being discharged, as the amount of ice discharged from the opening 125 is not consistent, the load on the respective blades 141 and 145 increases and the ice sputters due to the excessive amount of ice used when the ice is shaved.